I was especially intrigued by the parts on how positive emotions and love can help your career by “drawing you out of your cocoon of self-absorption to attune to others.”

I often blog about finding ways to love your job. Some of the favorite articles I've written for Next Avenue and Forbes have been ones about second-acters who’ve done just that — pursuing their passions to, say, film a feature movie or open a red sauce joint.

Sadly, though, older employees have experienced the steepest drop in job satisfaction over the past 25 years, according to the Conference Board research group. In 1987, more than 70% of workers 65 or older and nearly 60% of workers 55 through 64 felt good about their jobs; by 2011, their satisfaction numbers had fallen to 46%.

That said, I know plenty of people who’ve found ways to fall in love with their work again, even if they've been toiling for decades. They typically either have autonomy and flexibility in their jobs or are learning new things and meeting new people.

But Fredrickson has found that you can also find inner joy in the workplace through simple, practical minute-long exercises. Her bottom line: Find new ways to design your job around love.

I gave Fredrickson a call to find out more. Highlights of our talk:

Let’s start with the key question: What is love?

Fredrickson: Love is an emotion, a momentary state that arises to infuse your mind and body alike. Love is sharing one or more positive emotions with another person, a reflection that you are invested in each other’s well being.

What do you mean when you say, "Redesign your job around love?"

Fredrickson: Listening and supporting your co-workers can renew your energy, give you confidence and build resources to face tough problems. Feelings of connections and camaraderie spark resilience and a more positive work climate.

Create games at work and find other ways to open up and connect. In our office, we started a weekly card game at lunch. It’s made a huge difference.

Are there ways we can use love to understand our colleagues better and improve our work relationships?

Fredrickson:Eye contact, it turns out, is crucial. New scientific evidence suggests that if you don’t make direct eye contact with a co-worker, you’re at a distinct disadvantage in trying to figure out what she really feels or means.

Accessing this emotion makes you wiser. You become more accurate, more attuned and less gullible. You intuitively grasp her intentions. It informs your next move.